The present invention relates to barcoding and more particularly to the barcoding of X-ray film.
Extensive use of X-rays in hospitals and other facilities requires that each X-ray film be carefully and accurately marked with proper identification of the patient. In a typical situation, multiple exposures are taken for each patient, and patients are exposed one after the other as they are moved through the X-ray facility.
It is obviously critical that each film exposed be accurately marked with the patient's identifying information. With the large volume involved, it is seen that it is essential that the film be marked as close to the exposure as possible to insure this accuracy.
In spite of the many procedures put in place to insure proper identification, it can readily be appreciated that will be marked with the wrong patient's identification. This could occur because the technician may be interrupted by a telephone call necessitating putting down temporarily the cassette holding the film before the exposure and identifying procedure is complete, or for any number of other reasons. When the mistake is made, there can be tragic implications for one or both of the patients involved, as well as exposure to liability of the institution responsible for the X-rays.
One system commonly in use today for placing identifying information on an X-ray film relies on printing such information photographically on a corner of the film prior to or after X-ray exposure. X-ray film prepared for exposure involves placing a sheet of such film within a cassette sealed against light One side of the cassette is made of material which is transparent to X-rays On the other side of the cassette there is mounted in one corner a small window with a sliding panel or door closing the opening. Typically, the patient is first exposed to the X-rays and then the exposed film is taken to a dark room where the door is opened and a transparent sheet with the patient's identifying information is put in place. A light is then flashed to expose the film in that corner to record that information photographically on the film. A small patch of lead can protect the corner opposite the opening to exposure by the X-rays.
Some cassettes do not have an opening or a window. In such situations, the film must be removed from the cassette in a dark room and then flashed with the information. This extra step, of course, improves the chances that an error will be made.
Between the time that the information is imprinted by exposure and the taking of the X-ray, the possibility exists, as already noted, that an error can be made. If the technician is rushed, and is handling a number of cassettes at one time, and in several locations, which is not unusual today, there is significant risk that such a mistake can be made.